The Government has finally confirmed it will turn 72ha of “majestic” land on Wellington’s Watts Peninsula into a public reserve after 14 years of promises and stalled plans,
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka and Land Information Minister Chris Penk announced the decision at the peninsula today.
The land, regarded as a prominent Wellington landmark situated at the northern tip of Miramar Peninsula, is currently owned by Land Information New Zealand (Linz).
It will be transferred to the Department of Conservation (DoC) and the reserve will be managed by a trust with trustees appointed by local iwi Taranaki Whānui, Wellington City Council and DoC.
The cost to maintain the reserve will partly be the responsibility of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust (PNBST), which is the commercial entity set up to manage Taranaki Whānui’s Treaty settlement. The council will also spend $750,000 per year to help manage the reserve and $2.5 million from the Plimmer Bequest Fund will be used for future upgrade work.
Potaka said public access would be established in about “six to 12 months” after natural hazards on the “majestic” parcel of land had been dealt with.
A reserve on Watts Peninsula was first announced in 2011.
The former New Zealand Defence Force land is home to historical military gun emplacements and former ammunition magazines.
There are several historical pā sites on Te Motu Kairangi (Miramar Peninsula), making the land culturally significant to iwi.
The area is also connected to early European settlement as it formed part of the New Zealand Company’s purchase and was eventually carved up. The first owner of Lot 3 was James Watt, after whom the peninsula was named.
The area is already popular for recreation with walking tracks, a community garden and a farm that hosts school visits.
“Watts Peninsula, also known as Mātai Moana, is a prominent landmark with enormous historical and cultural significance for many New Zealanders,” Potaka said.
Penk said the reserve was a long time coming and thanked everyone who had advocated for a reserve.
Before it can officially open to the public, it must be transferred from DoC under the Public Works Act and be prepared for public access.
Chris Finlayson was the Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister in 2011 when the reserve was first announced and said it would be protected as a place of national significance for all New Zealanders.
“We now have the opportunity to preserve and regenerate it as a space for future generations to enjoy. The site will be protected as a distinctive national destination with cultural and recreational potential,” he said in a Beehive press release at the time.
At that time, Wellington Prison, known as Mt Crawford prison, was still operating on land adjoining the area earmarked for the reserve.
In 2014, the Crown, PNBST and Wellington City Council signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the future vision for the reserve.
In 2018, PNBST started working with the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development (MHUD) on a proposal to develop the former prison site.
There were plans for a commercial precinct including a cafe, early learning centre, superette and a community or cultural centre.
Construction was expected to start last year if special consent had been granted but the then-Environment Minister David Parker declined it, which stalled the plans.
In Budget 2019, Linz received $4m to prepare the land for public access and site maintenance until the reserve was established.
Last year, Linz head of Crown property Sonya Wikitera said $2.3m of that money had been spent on activities including removing dangerous trees, regular mowing and maintenance, and hazard, archaeological and seismic assessments.
Sir Peter Jackson, who owns tens of millions of dollars worth of commercial property in the area has long voiced his hope for the land to become a “long-promised public reserve”.
The film-maker publicly voiced concern about protecting the “green belt” for future generations in 2011.
He said at the time that he did not intend to buy the land but supported it remaining in public ownership.
Jackson is mentioned by name in a 2017 Cabinet paper about the fate of Watts Peninsula.
“The filmset area has previously been used for filming, notably by Sir Peter Jackson, and parties like him and other stakeholders are opposed to development on the site as this will likely prevent future filming work,” the paper said.
The ministers said they had not spoken to Jackson about the announcement but acknowledged he had previously expressed his views about the site.
Penk said the Government is “really keen to remain engaged with everyone who has got a strong view on what exactly the land could be used for”.
“It’s an open invitation for anyone who has got a view, Mr Jackson included, to remain engaged, no longer through Linz but through the Department of Conservation and Minister Potaka about what that could look like,” he said.
Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh also purchased land at Shelly Bay in 2023 to restore its “natural beauty” and stop a controversial $500m housing development planned there.
In June it was revealed Jackson had sought consent to create a museum and exhibition space as well as residential accommodation in a historic building on the Shelly Bay site on the peninsula.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.